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Teachable Moment: The Epic Failure of Liberalism to Deal with Hurricane Sandy

November 02, 2012

BEGIN TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: This New York Marathon, I've got more people (I checked the e-mail) asking, "Rush, why are they doing this?"

Look, there's a simple answer, folks. I'm almost afraid to tell you, because you're gonna say, "No, that's what you always say," but it happens to be true. They have two giant generators running in Central Park to take care of whatever's needed for the marathon. They're kicking out residents who have checked into hotels 'cause their houses are gone. They're kicking them outta hotels to put the marathoners and people associated with the marathon in the hotels.

Why?

It doesn't compute on the commonsense scale.

This doesn't make any sense at all. You've got people that can't find gasoline, people's homes are gone, the beach is gone. The devastation in Staten Island now, people are beginning to see how truly bad the suffering is. There are six-hour lines for gasoline in Midtown Manhattan. This stupid rule you can't get into the city unless you got three people in your car. Who wants to come into the city?

Yet they're doing the marathon, and they say, "Well, it's for the money." That's not why. Yes, it's for the money, but who's in charge here? Let me ask you a question: Who in New York is big proponent of global warming? In fact, who just endorsed Obama because he's "right" on global warming? That'd be Mayor Bloomberg, correct? Now, what do global warmers believe? Well, they believe a lot of cockamamie BS.

But they also believe that sea levels are rising.

Ye-e-es!

You see, it's getting warmer, and the polar bears are vanishing, and the ice floes are melting and the glaciers are melting and the sea levels are rising 'cause it's so sweltering hot out there. Doomberg has been mayor for how long? Eleven years! Doomberg's had 11 years to get ready for the rising sea levels that he believes in because he believes in global warming. What did he do to prepare Lower Manhattan for rising sea levels?

What did any of the liberals who run the show out on Long Island do? What about any of the liberals who run the show in New Jersey? They all believe global warming. One of the tenets of global warming is rising sea levels. What did they do? You can ask the same question about New Orleans. "Okay, you know you got a problem with the levees. Here's federal money. Build the levees. Make sure if we have a flood, the levees hold."

The money went into the back pocket of the regulators. It was graft, and the levees didn't hold. And they were blaming George W. Bush for it. The people in charge are all what? They're all liberals. They believe things. They tell us they believe in global warming, but Bloomberg didn't prepare Lower Manhattan for rising sea levels. He didn't prepare. He believes this stuff. He thinks this stuff matters.

He believes the sea levels are rising without storms. When a storm comes along, if sea levels are already rising, well, 2 + 2 = 4. That equals floods. Did he do anything to prepare for it? No. Now he okays the marathon. This is the liberal value system. To him there's value in all this. In the midst of this crisis and aftermath, there's some sort of value to having the marathon there. Now, we know he's also a health nut.

You can't drink a soda over 16 ounces. You can't eat anything with trans fat on it. You can't smoke. Well, who are the marathon runners? Well, they're the essence of health freaks, exactly the kind of people we want in New York. "These are ideal people. You can't run a marathon unless you're in shape. You can't run a marathon unless you don't drink 16-ounce-or-larger sodas. You can't run a marathon if you eat trans fats. You can't run a marathon if you smoke."

So the marathon people are the ideal citizens, the ideal people. They do everything Bloomberg doesn't want people to do, or wants people to do. They're welcome. Now, wherever you go, folks, you're gonna see this. This hurricane in New York and New Jersey, we talked yesterday, is a case study on the perils of liberalism and socialism. What were we told two days ago by Governor Christie and Obama?

They both said they're gonna get government out of the way in order to speed the recovery. We're gonna get rid of the gasoline regulations so that any gas is accepted. We're gonna get rid of the red tape. When you call a bureaucrat, they're gonna answer the phone in 15 minutes. They're gonna get back to you in 15 minutes. In the process, they were admitting that the biggest roadblock to efficiency is government, their precious government that they believe in and run.

And they are saying, "In this time of crisis, we're gonna get rid of it. But don't worry! I mean, we'll build it back when the crisis is over. We'll put the roadblocks back up and we'll put the regulations back in and we'll reinstitute the gasoline regulations. We'll make it just as hard to get gasoline as it was before and we'll make it just as tough to produce it, and we're gonna make it so that you have to wait two days to get the call from the bureaucrats instead of 15 minutes.

"We'll go back to that, don't worry. But in the middle of a crisis when people really need help, we're gonna get government out of the way." Every picture I see out of New York, I don't see progress. I don't see anything happening here. It's a case study. After these big announcements about getting government out of the way, big announcements about no more red tape, no more gasoline regulations and they're gonna speed everything up.

They admitted that government slows everything down. They didn't intend to, but they did. They admit that government bottlenecks everything. They admit that the enemy of efficiency is a bureaucracy, or a series of bureaucracies, run by bureaucrats and government people. And in this crisis they both, Christie and Obama, said, "We're gonna get rid of it." Well, why don't we STAY rid of it once we get rid of it?

If it's the solution, if smaller government's the answer, who's running for president on smaller government? Mitt Romney. And when Mitt Romney says that he's gonna do exactly what Christie and Obama promised they're gonna do in this crisis, what does Obama say about Romney? "Well, you can't elect him! He just gonna take us back to the policies that got us in this mess." Really?

It just sounds to me like Romney wants to make permanent what you're doing temporarily to speed up the recovery in the aftermath of the hurricane. If you're gonna get rid of government, get rid of the bottlenecks, gonna get rid of the gasoline regulations and others -- if you're gonna make sure bureaucrats respond to phone calls on time -- but only in a time of crisis...

Romney says, "You know what? I want to do that every day. I want everything running efficiently every day. I want to have more things taking place in the private sector with a profit motive where people get things done because there's a reason for it. I want it running smoothly. I want government to do what it can do and do it well. I want it smaller," and they said, "Well, you can't do that. That got us into this mess."

Really? So, President Obama, we can then say that the temporary measures that you are taking are the same things that got us into the mess that we're in? Because that's what you say Romney's gonna do. Romney is gonna take us back to the same policies that got us in this mess. All he's talking about is smaller government. You are talking about smaller government. You and Governor Christie say, "Yep, we're gonna streamline it all."

So President Obama, you are admitting to people who will listen and put two and two together that the solution to the crisis in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy is the policies of the past that equal smaller government and more money in individuals' back pockets and more power in the private sector to get things done. By the way, did you guys forget to tell the unions that? 'Cause bunch of crews from Alabama have been turned away.

Did you hear about this? Nonunion repair crews from Alabama who drove to New Jersey to help were turned away by New Jersey unionized crews. They said, "You can't help." (interruption) No, I'm not kidding you. I wouldn't make this up. So you people on Staten Island and elsewhere in that area, there are people from all over the country that want to drive in and help. But if they're not union, they're being turned away.

Remember the Jones Act from the BP spill? The Jones Act allows foreign workers to come in and help in a crisis. But the Jones Act, I think, requires that the foreign workers be union. It's a way to protect the unions, or you gotta pay union wages to people that come in or whatever. And so the work didn't get done. They actually are turning away nonunion utility repairmen, construction workers, other kind of engineers who want to help out. So what we're gonna learn here is the next three days, you watch. I mean, Bloomberg said he's gonna take care of it. You got press conferences, Christie, Obama, they're gonna take care of it, they're there. They care. They're hugging people.

Well, let's see. The next three days are gonna highlight that for people in that region who want improvement in their lives, they're going to have to do it. Nanny Bloomberg is gonna be at the marathon, euphemistically speaking. These next three days are going to illustrate the priorities of liberals and the dependence on the collective. It will showcase the overall damage done by unions. It's a shame, folks, that it is happening.

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: Okay. Here's the latest. Big Sis, Janet Napolitano, Homeland Security, has waived the Jones Act. She has waived it, which means that nonunion oil tankers from the Gulf will be allowed to deliver oil to the East Coast. That's normally not allowed. Normally nonunion tankers cannot deliver oil to the East Coast, but Big Sis... see? Here's getting more government out of the way. They have to get rid of government regulations to make progress happen. This is such a teachable moment. I didn't know there was a Jones Act, but there is, and it's to protect unions, and it says that nonunion tankers, it's far more wide reaching than this, by the way, but in this case the application of it is that nonunion tankers cannot deliver oil to the Northeast, but she's waiving that.

So, once again, a government bureaucrat is eliminating a government regulation in order for something to happen. With the government regulation in place, there would be no oil. Government's not the solution. Government is having to cancel itself, government is having to eliminate itself in order for things to happen and get done there. And it's what Romney wants to do day in and day out, which is said to be taking us back to the policies that got us in this mess. That's always been a crock; it is a crock now. The Jones Act prevented more help going into New Orleans during the BP spill and Obama fought waiving it. There were people that wanted to waive the Jones Act after the BP spill so that nonunion helpers could get down there to work, and Obama fought it to protect the unions.

So Obama stood up for big government, stood up for government roadblocks after the BP oil spill. Right now Obama is getting rid of government roadblocks. I mean, the liberals are indicting themselves. Liberals and Democrats are being forced to admit that their day-to-day function and way of doing government is anti-progress. No other way to say it. They retard progress. They slow it down. And for there to be progress now, fast movement, help on the way, they've gotta get rid of some government. I love it.

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: The Drudge headlines: "Drivers waiting six hours for gas in New York City." "Tempers rise in wake of storm." "'They forgot about us.'" "Misery: Mile-long lines." "Price hits six bucks for gasoline." "Residents furious with the Red Cross for offering cookies and hot chocolate, not blankets or clothes."

By the way, Trump is sending in a bunch of bottled water. Trump. That equals private sector. The Red Cross, hot chocolate and cookies. "Two massive generators power the New York media, not the masses." That's for the marathon. These are generators that I'm told could power 400 houses or some such thing. "Staten Islanders plead for help: 'We need food. Please don't leave us.'"

"WNBC: 'Woman interviewed in high-rise city project says deteriorating conditions, people defecating in hallways.'" It's happening. This is happening in the media capital of this country. It is happening in an area totally dominated and run by big government types. I mean, remember how they got all over George W. Bush, folks? This is supposed to be big government's proving ground.

This is supposed to be when big government shines! This is supposed to be when we're all supposed to see the wonderfulness, the joy, the greatness, the necessity of big government. And what do the leaders actually do? They say they're going to suspend government and regulations in order to speed up the recovery and the help. Except... Never mind. They're running the marathon. I'm still amazed.

BREAK TRANSCRIPT

RUSH: Back to New York and the aftermath and the symbolism over substance of politicians seeking the right optics to make it appear as though they care and are really, really working hard. But I'll tell you what's gonna become clear by Sunday is how incompetent most of the leaders in the Northeast are. Remember, now, this is when government is supposed to shine. You remember aftermath of Hurricane Katrina?

Remember the devastation and all the people on the roofs and the highways and the Superdome crying, "Where are the trailers? Where is FEMA? Where are the rescue helicopters? Where is Bush? Where is Brown?" Remember all that? Well, the implication of that was that if we had somebody competent in government, none of this would be happening. There wouldn't be any looting. There wouldn't be any rapes.

There wouldn't be any murders. There wouldn't be any theft. There wouldn't be any homelessness. There wouldn't be any thirst. There wouldn't be any starving. And people won't be fleeing the city for Houston. If we just had somebody competent. But Bush is incompetent and Brownie is incompetent. "Plus, the Republicans, they don't care!" Okay. Well, we've got Hurricane Katrina Northeast.

And is it any different?

The weather is gonna make it worse. It's cold. There's no heat. There's no gasoline. There's no food. There's very little water. This is when government's supposed to shine. It's a teachable moment. This is when all that tax money's supposed to be seen, the value of it and how much it's worth. This is when we find the best and brightest among us. This is when they rise to the top and show us how it's done.

This is the moment we've all been waiting for. Remember, "We are the ones we've been waiting for!" And what's going to happen is a display of utter incompetence and cluelessness. Yep. Yep. Here's a mayor in New York who spent a lot of time criticizing the Second Amendment, making sure that you can't have a Coca-Cola that's any larger than 16 ounces, making sure that you don't have any trans fats in your food, making sure that nobody's smoking tobacco products within five miles of you.

Yep.

Where was the time spent making sure power companies were prepared for major storms? Where were the inspections of hospital backup generators? Where was all the preparation for rising sea levels? Remember, now, Bloomberg believes in global warming. Bloomberg endorsed Barry. Bloomberg endorsed Obama yesterday. You know one of the three reasons he gave? Obama's right on global warming.

What do global warmers believe?

They believe the sea level is rising!

"The polar bears are having to live on smaller and smaller glaciers and ice floes and icebergs and stuff 'cause it's melting out there. It's so sweltering hot, don't you know. Yeah, it's warming like crazy out there! Why, it's so hot out there, everything's melting!" Okay. If you really believe that, and you've been mayor for 11 years, don't you think that you might take steps to prepare the Lower Manhattan shoreline for rising sea levels in case a storm hits?

Don't you think, if you really believed it, you would prepare for it? "No, you don't you dare try to buy something to drink larger than 16 ounces in a cup if it's soft drink. Don't you dare! The authorities will come after you." I don't think anybody's ever contemplated or seen the effects, even after 9/11, of shutting down Manhattan below 34th Street for a week. Do you realize the economic implications of what's going on here? Do you realize, folks, there are gonna be businesses south of 34th Street in Manhattan that may not survive?

This event, if it's not handled right, could create its own recession. This could contribute mightily to an all-out national recession. And it's day three, day four, and people are still learning things that happened. The sights and the sounds out of Staten Island, for example. People are still trying to... I mean, they're still learning. The devastation is not fully known, is my point. And I hearken back to the great teachable moment that this is because, remember, all these people are promising to get government out of the way in order to solve your problems.